It will be limited minutes in short bursts, but it’s happening.
Zion Williamson will play for the New Orleans Pelicans in their opener against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Williamson and the team decided after he went through warmups. The Pelicans announced it this way:
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 30, 2020
Chris Haynes of TNT/Yahoo had details.
Sources: Williamson will play in short quick burst, not necessarily a minutes restriction. https://t.co/sxvYGfZgms
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 30, 2020
Zion averaged 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game in the 19 games he played, but his impact went beyond the raw numbers. The Pelicans outscored their opponents by 13.9 points per 100 possessions when Zion was on the court because his gravity to draw defenders when he drove the rim opened up everything for New Orleans.
Zion had been excused from the NBA’s restart bubble to tend to a family medical situation, but returned in time to go through a four-day quarantine, two practices, and be ready to play in the opener.
The Pelicans, playing in the first game of the restart, are 3.5 games back of the eighth-seed Grizzlies. New Orleans, Portland, and shorthanded Sacramento were all tied and are in a race to win the ninth seed, finish within four games of Memphis, and force a two-game play-in series. The Pelicans have no margin for error with just eight seeding games, so having Zion back — even for “short bursts” — is a massive help.
